The Conditioning Continues....week 1!

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/221382625

I was really looking forward to riding with team members again, but I had to go solo due to a class I got in last minute that started at 1 PM.  You may be asking then why I'm blogging about a solo ride vs. a team one. 1)  Because I can, 2) because I want to and 3) because it lets the other guys on the team know I mean business.  The game is definitely on, so I'm hoping this encourages the rest of the team to train up to keep up or keep ahead.  Knowing how the guys are, these words will not be taken lightly.  Good!

So my purpose for getting out to ride was to get more seat time, especially on my TT bike, and starting bringing up that discipline again.  It is my favorite mostly because it's the easiest to work on given that it's more about tempo than high intensity.  I was hoping someone might come out and join me to push me even more, but no takers so solo it was.

One of the things I realized when riding was that my mind was equally in need of conditioning.  I felt less confident about pushing myself (fearing I may pop or cramp), I was more inhibited when it came to turning on the aeros and I really had to force my myself to focus on breathing, being smooth, etc.  I'm sure these also apply when I'm on my road bike, but it seems more relevant when solo given that the only company I keep are my thoughts.  This is definitely going to take some more seat time to overcome.

Despite the mental aspect, I was actually a little surprised I was able to average 200+ watts for the ride.  I did my non-stop pedaling route, but the stop light on California and a dog being walked on Back Bay without a leash made it less than ideal.  The weather was great though.

In the end, I was pleased with being able to average 22+ on the route.  I'm hoping I can hit 23-24 again eventually, but I'm just getting started (or restarted).

One encouraging thing to see was Vince's and Shannon's Strava posts showing they rode at lunch yesterday also.  I'm sure others probably rode with them, but like the saying goes...if it isn't on Strava, it didn't happen.  With the amount of riding these guys are doing compared to the others, you can tell they're only going to keep pushing the bar higher and higher.  I'm fine with it as it gives me something to shoot for.  It's great when team mates push one another.  I'm hoping these damn blogs will help push others as well.  If at least one is encouraged by them, then it's all worth the while.

Morning BAM Resurrection Ride

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/220595165

It's easy to believe that Team Broadcom disbanded given the lack of participation in organized group rides, the absence of blogs, and just the smattering of Strava posts by team members. However, the BAM spirit has only been in hibernation during the last few months (although some still exhibited it more than others during that time).  Now the spirit has grown restless and is ready to start being a force to reckon with once again. Consider yourself warned.  A new chapter is starting, and its title is rightfully called "BAM...the Resurrection." 

This morning was the first ride of the next chapter.  It was an OG roundup for sure with Gary, Verm and Galen coming out for some good training.  It was great to ride with these folks again as it's been awhile since I've ridden with them.  They're good folks who appreciate riding as a team, which I desperately need given my apparent lack of conditioning.  

It was a rather cold start with the temperature being in the mid 40's when we started pedaling.  I was surprised to see Gary be ready to go but without any arm warmers on.  He conformed real quick though once I pointed out what the temperature was when I pulled up.  I made the mistake of only bringing shorty gloves vs. full-finger.  My hands were turning blue in the beginning and as we hit patches of shade on the 133.  Everyone wore shorts, which seemed adequate although doing so had Galen making fun of all the hair on my legs.

The pace was definitely more moderate than our lunch rides...something I really appreciated given the temperature (and my extra weight).  There were definitely moments of type A riding out there with Gary launching some Adrian-esque hill attacks and Galen and Verm breaking away seemingly at will.  There was even one hill I thought I'd charge right before El Moro, but Galen encouraged me to go faster as he easily dropped me before the top.  

We considering skipping NPC, but I'm glad we ended up doing it.  I'm sorely lacking in the hill training, so a nice constant climb was just what the doctor ordered.  Of course, the likes of Vista, Ridge, or any other steeper hill would be better, but baby steps for now....   The descent on the other side, however, was no fun with a lot of traffic due to the school.  Galen had taken off high on adrenalin after a guy in a silver Mercedes was messing with him.  After a couple bunny hops over the sewer openings, his chain came off mid air and caused him to unclip and land almost sideways.  Thankfully, he was able to keep it up right.

This was a great restart for me to ride with the crew this morning.  Except for a beer my wife gave me last night, I'm hoping to be on track once again and apparently have others who are equally interested.  It will definitely be a grueling journey, but one that will be worth the while.  If getting faster came too easily, then it wouldn't be as rewarding, right?  I'm looking forward to reading this in a few months and seeing how far we've come.  

Thanks for coming out, gents!